Forming die for intaglio printing plates



Nov. 11, 1941.

FORMING DIE FOR INTAGLIO PRINTING PLATES J. H. BENDER 2,262,266

Filed Aug. l, 1938 IN VENTOR.

Patented Nov. 11, 1941 FORMING DIE FOR INTAGLIO PRINTING PLATES John H.Bender, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Inter-Collegiate Press, KansasCity, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application August 1, 1938, SerialNo. 222,388

2 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of manufacturing printing plates andmore particularly to the art of manufacturing. engraving plates forintaglio printing machines such as shown and described in United StatesLetters Patent No. 2,053,510, issued Sept. 8, 1936, and owned by theassignee of this application.

One of the important aims of the instant invention is the provision of aforming die for intaglio printing plates that is in the nature of theequipment shown and. described in United States Letters Patent No.2,090,096, issued Aug. 17, 1937, and which is also owned by the assigneeof this invention and application.

The engraving of calling cards or the like on machines employingindividual printing plates becomes more efficient when the indiciabearing portion of the plate is formed on an elevated, longitudinallyand transversely arched boss which permits wiping off of surplus inkwithout having to clean a large area. The printing plate per setherefore, which is made in accordance with this invention, not only hasthe offset portions near the ends thereof, but has a body that islongitudinally and transversely arched, and which is embossed to createa similarly arched surface on one side of the plate upon which theengraving is formed.

This invention also contemplates the employment of novelly arranged andsized backing member positioned on the printing plate with respect tosaid boss so that the forms of the plate may be accurately accomplishedin one operation through the use of specially constructed equipment.

A yet further aim of the instant invention is the provision of a formingdie for printing plates of the aforementioned character wherein isemployed a pair of relatively movable forming members, one of which isprovided with a facing of resilient material against which the othermember forces the plate being formed.

A large number of minor objects will appear during the course of thefollowing specification, referring to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a forming die assembly madein accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the lower forming member and partsassociated therewith.

Fig. 3 is a vertical fragmentary sectional View through the die assemblytaken on line III--III of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of thearrow.

Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view but with the forming members movedtogether.

Fig. 5 is a face view of the printing plate in the blank form.

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation of the printing plate in the condition shownin Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an edge elevation of the printing plate illustrating itscondition after formation.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the plate prior toforming, taken on line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a similar view through the formed plate taken on line IXIX ofFig. 7

The forming die wherein the plate embodying this invention may be giventhe desired contour, comprises a stationary shoe I2 having guide blocksI4 and I6 integral therewith between which the lower forming member I8is mounted for vertical reciprocating movement.

Stops 20 on forming member I8 travel toward and from shoulders 22 formedby blocks [4 and I6, and cushioned springs 24 yieldably maintain stops20 against shoulders 22 when the device is not in operation. Springs 24have their ends engaged in sockets 26 and 28 provided in members I8 and[2 respectively, and the downward movement of member I8 is limited whenits lower edge 30 strikes surface 32 of shoe I2.

A gauge face 34 and shoulder 36 bear against one end of plate 38 when itis first introduced into the die for forming. A maintaining spring 40bears against the other end of plate 33 to hold the first mentioned endthereof against face 34.

Member I8 has its upper surface 42 both longitudinally and transverselyarched as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. A facing of resilientmaterial 44 overlies the arched surface 42 of member I8 for the veryimportant purpose which will be hereinafter fully set down.

The complementary forming member 46 which is above member I8 has alongitudinally and transversely arched surface 48 which acts withsurface 42 of member I8 to impart the desired contour to plate 38. Thisupper forming member 46 is mounted upon a reciprocating ram 50 that maybe moved up and down throughthe application of any suitable force.

The forming member 46, ram 50 and outwardly extending arms 52 areyieldably maintained at the upper end of a path of travel by springs 54.A hearing 56 journals ram 50 and ear 58 engages surface 60 of bearing 56when member 46 is at one end of its path of travel.

Ear 62 extends rearwardly from member 46 and engages surface 64 on shoeI2 when member 46 is at the other end of its path of travel. Ear 62 doesnot bear upon surface 64 until after surface 30 has engaged surface 32to completely stop the downward movement of member l8.

The plate 38 is made by first producing a flat blank from copper ofsuitable thickness and size. The ink receiving die 66 is engraved on oneside of plate 38 as illustrated in Fig. 5, and then a back member 68 issecured to the other side of plate 38 in direct opposition to the areacovered by indicia 66.

When plate 38 is introduced into the die in a manner illustrated in Fig.1, the downward movement of upper forming member it forces plate 38against the upper surface of forming member [3 to thereby longitudinallyand transversely arch the same. As forming members It and 4% movedownwardly together, the end of plate 38 overlying shoulder 36 isabruptly bent to create the offset portion which is necessary when usingthe plate in machines disclosed in the aforesaid patent. The other endof plate 38 is slightly offset by ear 12 as the forming members approachthe lower end of their path of travel.

The facing of resilient material M has an inherent rigidity sufficientto support plate 38 while it is longitudinally and transversely arched.This arching action is complete when lower forming member l8 has arrivedat the end of its path of travel in one direction and has been arrestedby the interengagement of surfaces 30 and 32. Ear 62 of member 46 hasnot yet arrived at a point Where it engages surface 54 and therefore,the downward movement of upper forming member 46 continues untilarrested by the interengagement of ear 62 and surface G l.

During this continued movement on the part of upper forming member 46,the backing member 68 which is interposed between the upper side ofplate 38 and the face of member 46, creates a boss commensurate in sizewith the area of member 68 and which is likewise arched in bothdirections as is plate 38. The surface '14 of this boss bears theindicia 66 and the remaining part of plate 38 is below surface M. Thisbacking member 68 should be a strong material, such as fibre, so thatthe downward force exerted thereagainst by member 46 will be suflicientto further arch and emboss plate 33 and to force the embossed portionthereof against the facing of resilient material 44 to compress aportion thereof and thereby permit so forming the plate.

When the completed plate is mounted in the machine for use, the fibrebacking member may be entirely removed for the strength of the materialfrom which plate 38 is formed, is sufficient to maintain the contourimparted thereto throughout any normal run.

Plates 38 which are formed as hereinabove set down, will permitoperating intaglio printing machines at a higher rate of speed. Thefinished product is of high quality for the stock that is printed isplaced under greater pressure only at the area thereof which receivesthe ink.

It is conceivable that forming dies for printing plates may be made topresent different physical characteristics than those illustrated anddescribed, but so long as the printing plate created is in the nature ofthat herein disclosed, the spirit of the invention is involved, and itis desired therefore, to be limited only by the. scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A forming die for printing plates comprising a-pair of relativelymovable forming members arranged to engage the plate therebetween asthey are moved together; a facing of resilient material on one of themembers; a stop to limit the movement of one of the forming members asthe other member approaches the same to form the Work; and a stop tolimit the movement of the other forming member after it has moved towardthe one member a short distance after the one member has reached thelimit of its movement said forming members each having their plateengaging faces longitudinally and transversely arched.

2. A forming die for printing plates comprising a lower forming member;an upper forming member; resilient means for holding the lower formingmember at one end of a path of travel; stops for arresting movement ofthe lower forming member at the other end of its path of travel; meansfor moving the upper forming member toward the lower forming member toform the work; a stop to limit the movement of the upper forming membertoward the lower forming member; and a facing of resilient material onone of the forming members, said forming members each having their plateengagingfaces longitudinally and transversely arched, said stops for thelower forming member being disposed to arrest its movement in onedirection before the stop arrests the movement of the upper formingmember in the same direction.

JOHN H. BENDER.

